Develop ideas

A while ago, I was asked how I manage to constantly come up with new ideas for books, seminars, lectures, etc. I'm more interested in how I manage not to have any new ideas. I tend to ask myself how I manage not to have any new ideas. Or at least not until I've realised all the old ones.

I'll let you in on a few secrets.

Develop creativity

Creativity unfolds when things get tight. If there is hardly anything left in the fridge or pantry, you can get creative when cooking. You can consciously create such bottlenecks that lead to more creativity. For example, by setting yourself rules:

- Today I am only allowed to wear blue / green / yellow clothes.

- Today I'm not doing the usual for lunch, but something different.

- I don't go home the same way today, but find a new one.

- I cook for a week with at least one ingredient beginning with M.

etc.

Gain experience

My wealth of experience comes partly from life. I always like to try something new from time to time. For example, a wild herb hike, a form of exercise that I'm not yet familiar with. And I try to be aware of the experiences I have.

Or I go to places that I don't know yet. And I am - usually - open to meeting people I don't know.

I also acquire a lot of knowledge through reading. I read a lot about my favourite topics - such as coaching/counselling, spirituality and personal development. I also like to inform myself about fields of knowledge that I know little about in order to broaden my horizons. For example, by giving inspiring short talks on nutrition, ageing, chemistry, the internet and much more on TED hear.

And last but not least, I enjoy spending time with people who are particularly knowledgeable in their field, whether it's membranes for fuel cells or the development of ecological detergents. When a person is passionate about their field, it's infectious.

Capture and put into words

I record a lot of things. You hardly ever see me walking around without a notebook or notepad. Even when I'm browsing through newspapers in cafés, I write down one or two tips. And then use them. In my blogs, on Facebook, in books. I've developed my own system. I write things that I probably only need once on smaller pieces of paper, which I then dispose of.

More important things are recorded in notebooks or in files on the computer. Thanks to all this experience, writing is relatively easy for me. Nevertheless, I often revise important texts several times. I usually shorten them. And I look for ways to formulate important things more concisely.

If you want to develop your creativity and writing skills, I recommend the Quadro creativity developed by Torsten Huith and the Quadro Successful writing by Jörg Achim Zoll.